Indian Muslims React to Mumbai Horror

(Please welcome pm317 — who you all know as a regular reader — as a contributor to No Quarter. Pm317’s resume is astonishing, but that’s all I dare say in order to protect her privacy. And she will bring so much to our blog with her rich and diverse background. Just this phrase alone, from a section below the fold, explains how much she’ll have to share with us: “… Having grown up in a Hindu household listening to Islamic prayer call in the early mornings. …” How lovely … nasuS)

India has the second largest Muslim population in the world next to Indonesia. How are they reacting to Mumbai horror? There are two stories which reveal the character of Indian Muslims in whom I always had faith. Imams are appealing to their devotees as they celebrate Bakrid, a religious holiday to be considerate of the current circumstance and to wear black ribbons on their shoulder to show grief and solidarity as reported here. The article says:

New Delhi: A group of Imams have appealed to Muslims to celebrate Bakrid in a sober way and wear black ribbons on their shoulders to show their grief and solidarity with Mumbaikars who faced one of the worst Terror attacks in the country.

The All India Organisation of Imams of Mosques (AIOIM) also asked all Imams and Muftis to denounce terrorism and the brutal killing of Jews in Mumbai during this week’s Friday prayers.

All mosques, religious scholars and madarsas should ‘announce in the Friday prayers this week that they are against any type of terrorism and deeply aggrieved by the loss of human lives especially the brutal killing of Jews,’ AIOIM President Hazrat Moulana Jameel Ahmed Ilyasi said in a statement.

A second article is reporting a Mumbai-based Muslim organization refusing burial of the dead terrorists in their cemeteries.

Mumbai: Terming acts of Terror as ‘un-Islamic’ the Muslim Council Trust, a south Mumbai-based Muslim organisation, has opposed the burial of the nine dead terrorists in the city’s burial grounds. The decision was taken by the organisation on Sunday evening. The trust that works in the field of education expects backing of other prominent Muslim organisations in the city. “We term these acts as ‘un-Islamic’ as they have killed innocent people,” said Abraham Tai, president of Muslim Council Trust. “We are not bothered about what they do to the bodies of these terrorists. But we won’t allow them to bury the bodies of these people in city’s burial ground.”

Having grown up in a Hindu household listening to Islamic prayer call in the early mornings and thinking how melodious it is, I would not expect Indian Muslims to react to this horror in any other way.

This is the time to come together and show unity and solidarity. I think their reaction will go a long way in fostering communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims. Majority of India, Hindus and Muslims understand their fate lies in preserving a secular state and that they have to peacefully coexist and prosper.

Otherwise the terrorists have won again because one of their goals is to destabilize India internally and put a stop to its growing economy. As all evidence points to outside interference (see here) in this latest terror episode, this is no longer just India’s problem.

This can happen anywhere. We are all vulnerable and the good people of the world have to come together to root this problem out.